Tooth Development In Children

Primary teeth are the first teeth that appear in a baby. Thesenteeth start appearing in your child at around six months ofnage and often, all primary teeth appear by the time your childnis three years old.Whenever ages are mentioned in this article,nremember that these are guidelines only and if your child’snteeth are not following this schedule that does not neces-nsarily indicate a problem with their development. If you havenany specific questions about their development always ask yourndentist.

That said, your baby’s teeth start forming in the six-week oldnfetus. Hard substance in the region where the teeth will appearnstarts forming at around three to four months of gestation.
Among the primary teeth, the first to appear are the centralnincisors. These are the front middle teeth. Next, teeth onneither side of these central incisors appear. Thereafter, thensecond molars appear.

Normally, four primary teeth appear every six months. Those innthe lower jaw appear ahead of those in the upper jaw. Primarynteeth appear in pairs, one on the left side and the other onnthe right side. Girl babies generally get their primary teethnahead of baby boys.
Primary teeth are bright white in color and much smaller thannthe permanent teeth that appear later. There are only twentynprimary teeth in all. Primary teeth form the foundation fornthe permanent teeth that appear in their place after they fallnout.

Your child starts the growth and development of the facialnand jawbones from the age of four. This could create somenspaces in between primary teeth. Spaces help to accommodatenthe larger permanent teeth, as they appear later.

Although all primary teeth will eventually fall out paving waynfor permanent teeth, you still want to make sure that you carenfor these teeth. Healthy teeth are part of your child’s overallnphysical health. They also guide the shape and appearance ofnfacial muscles and structure. These muscles help in efficientnchewing and crushing of food. Missing or irregular teeth canndisrupt normal chewing of food and lead to food settling betweennteeth. This could cause tooth decay and gum problems.

Healthy primary teeth make way for healthy permanent teeth.
Tooth infections and decay in primary teeth, although notndirectly related to problems in the underlying permanent teeth,nis a sign of hygiene habits that need to be changed before thenarrival of the permanent teeth.

Development of Permanent Teeth
There are 32 permanent teeth in all. These consist of six max-nillary and six mandibular molars, four maxillary and fournmandibular premolars, two maxillary and two mandibular canines,nand four maxillary and four mandibular incisors.

Permanent teeth come in place of primary teeth except thenpermanent molars, which come in behind the primary molars.
Normally, primary teeth start falling out from the age of sixnand continue until the age of twelve. Permanent teeth pushnthe primary teeth from underneath. However, in between the agesnof six and twelve your child will have both primary and perm-nanent teeth. In most cases, all permanent teeth appear by theneighteenth year. In some cases, they may appear until the age ofntwenty-one.

The first primary teeth that start falling are the centralnincisors. The first molar could appear by the sixth year.
Lateral incisors appear by the eighth year, premolars andnsecond molars appear by the ninth and tenth years, while caninesnappear by the eleventh or twelfth year. The second molar appearsnby the twelfth or thirteenth year while the third molar appearsnin between seventeenth and twenty-fifth years.

When primary teeth push out permanent teeth, the jaws and mouthnundergo various transformations. These change the shape of yournchild’s face into that of a growing adult. Permanent teeth grownto a certain size and thereafter, the root closes, and teethnstop growing.